


how to be an adult: a helpful guide

by unghthesoliloquy



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M, Fluff, M/M, cat rescue time!, gratuitous use of eye of the tiger (bc we all know noya would listen to that kinda cheesy junk), like seriously this is literally just pure domestic breakfast fluff with a side of pancakes, the fluffiest fluff that ever fluffed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 17:32:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13369689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unghthesoliloquy/pseuds/unghthesoliloquy
Summary: being an adult is hard, someone really should write a guide on how to do it(aka i wrote a heap of fluff a few years back and found it again while cleaning out my pc lol)





	1. how to prepare breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> basically asahi and nishinoya are housemates that's pretty much all the context you need

Shit, Nishinoya thought, as he stared wistfully at the box of cereal just out of reach. On the kitchen table, he’d already sleepily arranged the bowl and spoon, retrieved the milk from the immaculate fridge, and poured himself a piping hot cup of coffee – but there would be no point if he couldn’t get this goddamn cereal box down from the stupid idiotic shelf –

He jumped and swatted at a corner of the cereal box, trying to nudge it off the edge. No luck. All he managed to do was land loudly on the floor and rattle the cupboards. Just as well no-one’s home at the moment to witness the hilarity of Nishinoya, resident shortarse, being completely unable to function like a normal human being and make himself a normal everyday breakfast.

Just as well Asahi isn’t home… Noya slapped himself. Of course. Now he has to wait for that ridiculously tall dorklord to get home from his morning shift so he could graciously retrieve the cereal box from its lofty state. Oh god, and he’d probably apologise for it too – oh my god, Noya, I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think –

Yeah yeah, you didn’t even think of how bloody short I am, because you don’t think of those things, you with your head in the sky and mind in my butts and eyes that see only the best in people so you don’t even notice that the top of my head barely reaches your shoulders.

Noya gathered his thoughts. What’s the time? Barely 10:00, so that gives him probably close to an hour before Asahi gets home. He looked back longingly at his immaculately planned breakfast and, sighing, resigned himself to a late breakfast. He could at least drink his tea now, he told himself with fake cheer, as he sat down and pulled up the news on his phone.

The tea went too quickly, and Noya quickly found himself gazing at the cereal box. Was he really going to give up without a fight, he asked himself. Seriously? Nishinoya, once the guardian spirit of Karasuno? If Hinata ever heard that he had accepted defeat so swiftly the poor child’s heart would be broken. Now he was all fired up! He jumped up, knocking the table in the process – but he had a plan!

A squealing guitar riff burst out of the speakers on his phone. Noya stood in the kitchen brandishing a pair of spatulas, striking a dashing figure in his black fluffy pull-over and pyjama shorts as he stared down the cereal box. This ends now, he told himself.

"Rising up, back on the street”

Noya leaned up against the cupboard as close as he could and reached up to touch the spatulas to the sides of the box. It would reach.

“Went the distance, now I’m back on my feet”

He blindly maneuvered the spatulas so he was tightly gripping the bottom of the box.

“Just a man and his will to survive”

Gently, gently, he told himself, as he triumphantly started moving the box closer to him. Oh man this was going to be the best breakfast ever –

“It’s the eye of the tiger-“

Noya saw the top of the box start tipping towards him – all good, he thought, I’ll just grab it on the way down –

“It’s the thrill of the fight-“

With horror he saw the top of the box was open – 

“Rising up to the challenge of our rivals”

And then the door to the kitchen opened and there was Asahi and then the world was delicious oats and dried fruit as he tumbled backwards.

“Oh my god Noya are you alright?” Asahi gasped.

Noya jumped up, showering cereal around the kitchen. Oh god, this was going to take some tidying.

“Never better!” he beamed despite wanting to become one with the floor. At least it wouldn’t take long, he figured – there had to be some upsides to being the shortest person he knew over the age of 14 after all.

Asahi looked worried. “Are you sure? You might have hit your head, oh my god you didn’t sprain your ankle or anything again did you-“

“Asahi!” Ah, I knew this was going to happen, Noya thought, as he finished brushing the remains of what was supposed to be his breakfast off him. “Seriously, look. I’m fine. Nothing broken,” Except maybe what was left of my dignity – “except for your cereal… sorry about that.”

Asahi blinked and looked around as if he’d only just noticed the situation. “Oh, you haven’t had breakfast yet?”

Noya nodded.

“Either have I. Want me to make some pancakes?” 

Turns out Asahi is a pretty good cook when he’s got someone there to double-check the recipe for him so he doesn’t freak out about missing a step. 

“Noya?” Asahi asked quietly from across the table.

He finished shovelling a forkful of pancakes into his mouth. “Mhm?”

“Are they alright?”

“MHM”

Asahi smiled gently.


	2. how to be a responsible neighbour

It was a quiet Sunday morning. Asahi sleepily nodded hello to Noya as he walked towards the bathroom. Noya continued on to the kitchen, where he got as far as pulling out a mug for coffee before the sound of panicked clattering and hissing reached him.

“WHAT THE-“ He heard Asahi yell before slamming the door. Noya stuck his head around the corner to catch the commotion.

“CAT,” Asahi stammered. “THERE’S A CAT AND I DON’T KNOW WHO HE IS”

“Gimme a sec.” He finished filling up the kettle and flicked it on before leaving the kitchen. Coffee couldn’t wait.

Asahi cowered in the hallway looking like he’d like nothing more than to find a rock to crawl under. “Do you think it’s still in there?”

“Maybe not, after all that yelling.” 

Asahi looked guiltily happy.

“Alright, let’s see what we’ve got here,” Noya said as he opened the door gingerly. He scanned the whole bathroom before spotting him – a long lanky cat with ash grey fur curiously pawing at the toilet paper. As Noya opened the door wider the cat paused and turned to look at him. 

The cat looked up at them, green eyes looking questioningly as if to say yes, I am here, what is your problem, I am cat and I belong here. He showed no signs of repeating that hissing from earlier. It stretched out from its perch on the toilet seat and leisurely (and ineffectually for now, thank god) pawed at the toilet paper roll. 

Asahi let out a whimper and clung to Noya’s back. He was hyperaware of the larger boy’s presence in spite of himself. He could feel every tremor, every slight movement of his body, could hear his breathing quicken – 

What an over-the-top reaction, he told himself, it’s only a cat. 

(What an over-the-top reaction, he told himself, it’s only Asahi.) 

Noya took a deep breath in, shook Asahi off his back, and gently tiptoed into the bathroom. 

The cat fixed his stare on Noya. He stared right back and kept moving towards it. 

The cat looked away, as if pondering its next move, took one last bat at the toilet paper roll (Noya cringed as the toilet paper roll started to unravel on the ground, but that was a problem for later) and then confidently strode towards him. Asahi yelled again and slammed the door shut. Okay, so it’ll be good to keep in mind how much help he’ll be in a crisis, Noya thought. 

As the cat wound between Noya’s legs and rubbed his head all over his feet he spotted a red and black collar around its neck. Bingo. Now just to see if there are any contact details – 

He reached in to grab the collar and it was immediately out of his reach as the cat assertively lent in for a pat. 

“Yeah yeah, now just let me-“ he muttered under his breath as he tried to outmanoeuvre the cat who continued to weave deftly in and out of his reach. Alright, if I pat his head with one hand and reach with the other – 

Got it! 

“Asahi, get your phone!” he yelled through the door, hoping the giant scaredy-cat was still behind it, as he fumbled with the tag around the cat’s neck. 

“OKAY,” he heard Asahi say loudly, before the sound of footsteps pounding the hallway echoed through the door.

“So, what’s your name then?” he asked the cat, who mewed back at him as if to answer. Oh god, this thing is cute. He checked the tag – he was called Lev, he was a he, and the owners had put a phone number on there.

“You lied to me, you’re not called mew,” he jokingly berated the cat. He responded by headbutting his leg again resulting in Noya losing hold of the tag with the phone number.

“I’M BACK,” Asahi yelled through the door.

Noya fumbled with the collar again, just barely managing to get a hold of the tag. “Alright, call this number – actually, just put the numbers in your phone and I’ll call.”

“N-no, no, I’m alright,” Noya could swear he could hear him shaking through the door. “C-can you just make sure the cat doesn’t go anywhere while I’m on the phone?”

Now that the cat was over its fright it was hard to believe he’d ever hiss at anyone, he thought as Lev affectionately got cat hair all over Noya’s pyjama pants. He could faintly hear Asahi’s conversation through the still-closed door.

“Mhm… yeah… we’re at the same address, what level are you? C-cool, we must be just below – okay, we’ll be right up-“

Damn, going to have to get changed, Noya thought disappointedly.

“- thanks, Kuroo was it? Yeah, see you soon.”

The door opened gingerly. “He belongs to upstairs.”

Noya picked up the cat under his front legs and held him out to Asahi. “Want a pat?”

Asahi looked faint.

“Just kidding!” Asahi still looked faint but relaxed a little.

“He’s not so bad though, once he calms down,” he cajoled, making one last ditch attempt to try to repair relations between the pair. He wasn’t entirely sure who he was addressing that to, but he figured it was true for both of them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kiyo yachi timeeee
> 
> first week on the job and yachi is in deep with her colleague

In the pre-dawn gloom, Yachi could see her door creak open just a crack and the faint form of her mother peer into her room. 

“You want a lift into work honey?” her mother quietly enquired. 

Yachi tried to respond coherently but all that came out was a quiet moan.

“That’s a no, I’ll take it?”

Another moan was the response.

“Alright, don’t forget 8:30am start, I’ll already be in a session but I’ll catch you between sessions,” her mother said before pulling the door shut. 

Yachi closed her eyes. One more hour of sleep, she told herself. She’d be nice and rested – wait, what time is it? She checked her phone again. Alright, 55 more minutes of sleep…

She yawned as she pushed open the door to the practice. She’d given up on her sleep in after half an hour of obsessively checking her phone, and the coffee wasn’t doing much more than masking her tiredness. 

“Hey honey!” Yachi’s mother called out to her from her clinic room. “I had a cancellation so I’ll be right with you!” 

In her haze Yachi registered that the usually-spare clinic room door was closed. The psych wasn’t in today, was she? Yachi dumped her bag at her desk and rummaged through her intray before logging on to her computer.

First email from her mother – “Don’t forget Kiyoko starts today!”

Oh, oops, maybe should’ve made more of an effort to look nice this morning then if it’s not just me and my mother, Yachi thought resignedly. She pulled out her diary and started checking her schedule for the day-

The gate to the reception area swung open. “Morning Mum-“ she started to say before looking up.

She realised too late that the tall woman standing in front of her was not her mother.

“OH MY GOD IM SO SORRY-“ Yachi leapt from her chair and thrust her hand out in front of her. 

The woman brushed her long black hair away from her glasses before accepting her handshake. “You’re Yachi?”

“Y-Y-YES-“ it was starting to strike Yachi how incredibly sophisticated this woman was, in her well-fitted blouse and sensible skirt.

“Yachi, could you get my files out for tomorrow?”

Yachi jumped from her chair. “Yes, of course!” She scrambled for the keys to the drawer – where on earth had she put them, she swore they were right there earlier – 

There! When had they gotten underneath her diary honestly what was she doing –

Alright, Yachi told herself, files for tomorrow. All fine. Easily done. CALM DOWN.

She took a deep breath in and out again. Easily done. Filing is easy, getting files out is easy, then once they’re out she’s just got to -

She gulped. 

She just had to go into Kiyoko’s room.

She blanked out again for a moment before catching herself. This is ridiculous, she admonished herself. You’re a grown woman you CAN DO THIS AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

She got out the final file and hefted the heavy pile into her arms. Alright. The pile came up to her chin almost – there were quite a few files that were bigger than usual, yes, but Yachi was also sure that no-one should be seeing this many clients in one day. Kiyoko really worked herself too hard. Yachi resolved to discuss this with her – or tried to tell herself that she’d discuss it with her. She knew she’d be a stammering mess before she managed it.

Yachi made her way from the filing cabinets, through the gate, over the pile of toys on the ground (mental note: tidy this before the start of the next session), and found herself in front of Kiyoko’s door. 

It was closed.

Her hands were very full.

There was no way for her to open this door.

Should she put the files on the floor? But then what if they fell over and everything fell out? Okay she could put them on the floor and prop them up with her leg. No, that wouldn’t work either, how would she pick them up again? Maybe she should go put them on her desk in the corner where they get propped up by the edge of the desk, come back here, open the door, then go back and pick the files up and bring them in –

The door to Kiyoko’s room opened. Yachi jumped.

“Thanks, Yachi,” Kiyoko said her name so smoothly she almost collapsed right there.

Yachi thrust the files out in front of her. She was sure the heat from her face was heating up the air around her, causing convection currents to raise her hair like she was a heroine from a Ghibli film.

Kiyoko deftly handled the transfer of files like she’d done it a million times and flashed Yachi a brief smile before closing the door with her hip.

“U-um!” Yachi squeaked. She heard Kiyoko quickly putting the files down on her desk before opening the door again.

“Yes?” She tilted her head and a strand of hair got caught beside her glasses. Yachi thought of brushing her hair out of her face and blushed even harder than she thought possible.

“I was going to go get some coffee in my break? I-if you would like me to get you a coffee?” Her heart beat out of her chest.

Kiyoko paused for a second, then smiled again. “That’d be nice actually. Let me get you some cash-“

“No!” Yachi squeaked again. “It’s my shout, honestly!”

“No, really, I’ll cover it. I know you’re a student, I’d hate for you to miss out on a coffee later on in the week because you bought one for me.”

It’d be worth it for you, Yachi told herself dreamily – oh thank god she hadn’t said that out loud.

“I-if you’re sure? I’ll take my break in 15 minutes if that’s okay?”

“Sounds good.” Kiyoko headed back to her desk, leaving the door open this time.

\-------

“Kiyoko?” 

“Yes?” Came the call from the other room.

“Your 11am has cancelled and will be coming in for 2pm. Is there anything else you need me to do?”

Yachi heard Kiyoko’s drawer open then close. She was right, these walls are quite thin.

“You haven’t gone out for coffee yet have you?” Kiyoko came into the reception area. She’d taken her hair down from the bun she kept it in while she saw children and Yachi had to physically restrain herself from running her fingers through the silky smooth hair.

“N-no, not yet!” Yachi leaped from her chair. “I’m so sorry I’ll go get your coffee right now! The phone rang and I probably took too long on the phone oh my goodness I’m so so sorry-“

“No, it’s fine!” Kiyoko looked a little bemused. “I was just – I mean, I’ve got the hour free, and I was wondering if you might be able to show me where to get a decent coffee around here?” 

“Oh! Yes! I’d love that! I mean I’d love to show you around I didn’t mean I’d love to go out with you-“

She screamed internally how on earth did that come out of her mouth Kiyoko is going to hate her for this and she’ll get fired immediately –

Against all the odds, Kiyoko laughed. “Yeah, fair enough, who’d want to go out with their coworker?”

“No that’s not what I meant either-“ this time she stopped herself before saying all I want in this life is to go out with you and be with you forever and I’ve known you for all of a morning are you serious.

“Is there anywhere within walking distance? It’s such a nice day, it’d be a shame to spend it all inside,” Kiyoko opened the gate to the reception area and held it open while Yachi scrambled to pick up her bag.

____  
It was a lovely day outside of course – the autumn sun had just enough bite left to it still to combat the slight chill of the breeze coming from the ocean. Some clouds drifted across the sky, low and fluffy, riding the wind from the coast like the small ships that dotted the harbour on days like this. 

While Yachi walked quietly, lost in thought, Kiyoko watched her curiously. This was the first practice she’d worked in since graduating, and much smaller than the clinics she’d spent time in during placement. She was usually too busy to get acquainted with anyone other than her supervisor or other students – this was the first time she’d really gone out with any of her colleagues in anything other than a strictly work-based outing. There was something about this girl that just forced her to let her guard down.   
Kiyoko couldn’t help noticing that in the sunlight, Yachi’s golden hair framed her face like an angel .

Shit, Kiyoko cursed quietly to herself. Where did that come from?

“Do you think it’s going to rain this afternoon?” Yachi’s voice interrupted Kiyoko’s musings.

Somewhat startled, Kiyoko looked up. “It isn’t cloudy enough for rain is it?” she asked.

Yachi paused for a second, slowing her stride and gazing upwards. “I don’t know what it is, but it feels like there’s rain on the way.” She turned around to face Kiyoko square on and smiled.

Kiyoko had to stop herself from stopping and just watching the younger girl smile. She gave herself a mental shake and lengthened her stride.

“You said the café was on the next block?”

“I- I think so! It should be just – there!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo yeah this is incomplete! i may have time to finish this up over the next week or so but otherwise don't expect to see any updates until the end of march at the earliest :,(


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